Petroleum

Petroleum is a liquid that is found underground. Sometimes we call it oil.

Oil can be as thick and black as tar or as thin as water. Petroleum has a lot
of energy. We can turn it into different fuels—like gasoline, kerosene, and
heating oil. Most plastics and inks are made from petroleum, too.
People have burned oil for a long time. Long ago, they didn’t dig for it. They
gathered oil that seeped from under the ground into ponds. It floated on
the water.
Petroleum is a Fossil Fuel
Long before the dinosaurs, oceans covered most of the earth. They were filled with tiny sea
animals and plants. As the plants and animals died, they sank to the ocean floor. Sand and
sediment covered them and turned into sedimentary rock. Millions of years passed. The
weight of the rock and heat from the earth turned them into petroleum.
Petroleum is called a fossil fuel because it was made from the remains of plants and animals.
The energy in petroleum came from the energy in the plants and animals. That energy came
from the sun.

Petroleum is Nonrenewable
The petroleum we use today was made millions of years ago. It took millions of years to form.
We can’t make more in a short time. That’s why we call petroleum nonrenewable. The United
States doesn’t produce enough oil to meet our needs. We import more than half the oil we use
from other countries.

PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS FORMATION

HOW PETROLEUM WAS FORMED

OCEAN OCEAN
300-400 million years ago 50-100 million years ago

SEDIMENTARY ROCK

SEDIMENT & ROCK

PLANT & ANIMAL REMAINS OIL & GAS DEPOSITS

Tiny sea plants and animals died Over millions of years, the remains Today, we drill down through layers
and were buried on the ocean floor. were buried deeper and deeper. The of sedimentary rock to reach the
Over time, they were covered by enormous heat and pressure turned rock formations that contain oil and
layers of sediment and rock. them into oil and gas. gas deposits.

20 Elementary Energy Infobook

 We Drill Oil Wells
Petroleum is buried underground in tiny pockets in rocks.
We drill oil wells into the rocks to pump out the oil. Some
wells are more than two miles deep and can stretch more
than eight miles sideways. Texas and Alaska are the states
that produce the most oil.

A lot of oil is under the oceans along our shores. Oil rigs
that can float are used to reach this oil. Most of these wells
are in the Gulf of Mexico. An oil rig pumps oil from a well.

After the oil is pumped to the surface, it is sent to refineries. At the refineries, it is separated
into different types of products and made into fuels. Most of the oil is made into gasoline. The
oil is moved from one place to another through pipelines and by
ships and trucks.

We Use Petroleum Every Day

What would we do without petroleum? Our country would come to a
stop. Most of our cars, trucks, and planes are powered by fuel made from
oil.

Our factories use oil to make plastics and paints, medicines and soaps. We even
burn oil to make electricity. We use more petroleum than any other energy source.

Petroleum can
pollute.
Petroleum keeps us going, but it can
damage our environment. Burning
fuels made from oil can pollute the air.
Pollution from cars is a big problem in
many parts of the country. Oil companies
are making cleaner gasoline and and
diesel fuel every year.

Oil can pollute soil and water, injuring

the animals that live in the area. Oil
companies work hard to drill and ship oil Petroleum fuels can contribute to air pollution.
as safely as possible. They try to clean up
any oil that spills.

The NEED Project P.O. Box 10101, Manassas, VA 20108 1.800.875.5029 www.NEED.org 21